Browsing by Author "Syrjänen, Pekka"

This thesis seeks to find out, how and why a sample based evaluation model (QAE-model) was implemented for Finnish comprehensive school during the 1990's instead of national exams and school ranking lists. Previous studies assert, that the birth of the sample based model is largely explained by embedded egalitarianism, which influenced political decision making in Finland at that time: Finnish decision makers rejected school ranking lists, which were perceived to increase inequality. In addition the studies postulate, that egalitarianism was boosted by two unpredictable historical happenstances – the economic downturn of the 1990's and increased municipal autonomy – which also backed a softer approach to QAE. These previous studies appeared to lack an important perspective: the birth of the sample based QAE-model was explained by structural factors and historical happenstances while political agency – conscious political action – was by and large neglected. This defined the starting point for this thesis: the aim was to include political agency as a central point of focus. However, agency cannot be understood detached from structure, and thus a structural point of view was also included in the research problem. The research problem was approached methodologically with "the model for analysis of political dynamics", which takes account of both structure and agency. Research material consisted of three interviews with people who partook in the National Board of Education's ARMI-project to design the model, NBE-archives and study literature. The study analyzed the political situation (e.g. historical and economic developments), the political possibilities (what was discursively possible in that situation?) and the political 'Spielraum' (what did the agents do in the situation with the possibilities?) of the birth of the sample based model. The research findings showed, that the birth of the sample based model was consequence of both structure and agency. The political situation and the political possibilities opened up an active political 'Spielraum', in which a central "policy-entrepreneur" got the chance to propose the sample based solution, which was then consciously backed by political agents inside the NBE. The decision was unanimous and there were no counterproposals, which was analyzed to be heavily accounted for by certain structural factors; these included NBE's egalitarian value base, lack of resources, and the known functionality of the sample based model. Contrary to previous studies, the findings suggest, that the birth of the sample based model is best explained by the combinatory effect of both structure and agency, while happenstance plays a smaller role.